Foresight
Supports to get your business Brexit Ready
Government departments, enterprise agencies and regulatory bodies have a range of supports to help your business navigate its way through Brexit.
Below is a summary of supports and resources available to get your business Brexit Ready.
Advice and guidance
Enterprise Ireland's Readiness Checker
The Brexit Readiness Checker provides businesses with a quick and accessible way to check their readiness across areas such as customs and finance and gives guidance on what steps to take now, based on their own unique circumstances.
Enterprise Ireland's Brexit Advisory Clinics and Webinars
Enterprise Ireland ran a series of Brexit Advisory Clinics across the country offering information and practical support to companies. While, under the current circumstances, events like this have become more difficult to hold, key elements of the clinics have been made available online. Enterprise Ireland also ran a series of Brexit Webinars with information and key tips that will help your business mitigate some of the risks of Brexit.
Enterprise Ireland's Currency Impact Calculator
Enterprise Ireland offers a Brexit Currency Impact Calculator tool to help businesses to estimate the impact that an adverse shift in exchange rates would have on their profitability. For more information on managing currency exposure, visit Enterprise Ireland's guidance and tools for managing currency exposure.
Enterprise Ireland's Brexit Scorecard
The Brexit Scorecard is a free online tool which assesses your business readiness. It is a first step in developing a robust Brexit plan. It will help to stimulate thinking about the key areas that may be impacted in your business and to self-assess your level of preparedness.
Bord Bia's Brexit Hub and DAFM Brexit information
If you work in food, drink or horticulture, you will find Brexit supports through Bord Bia’s Brexit Hub. It is designed to help businesses assess and prepare for Brexit challenges and provides information on supply chain, currency, customs and international market diversification opportunities.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine's Brexit information for the agri-food sector covers registering to import and export, trading in animal and animal products, trading in plants and plant products, agri-food and fisheries, and more. The Department also provides Brexit webinars and 'how to' guides for businesses.
Fáilte Ireland’s Brexit Response Programme
If you work in tourism and hospitality, Fáilte Ireland’s Brexit Response Programme is designed to help Irish tourism businesses spread the risk by diversifying their source markets and to enhance their skill capabilities across a wide range of business functions. Fáilte Ireland offers a suite of supports including an online knowledge hub and a Brexit Readiness Check to assess risks and to respond to an evolving business environment.
Local Enterprise Offices Brexit Mentor Programme
There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide and they are running a Brexit Mentor Programme to support Business owner/managers to identify key Brexit exposures and develop robust strategies to address issues and maximise potential opportunities.
InterTradeIreland's Brexit Advisory Service
InterTradeIreland provides a Brexit Advisory Service to help businesses with practical advice, support and information on cross-border trade including key information on commodity codes and trade in services.
IDA Ireland Brexit Advice
IDA Ireland offers support to client companies as they grow and diversify their Irish footprint. The IDA offers practical assistance, such as information and advice on Brexit risks and opportunities, and financial assistance across R&D, training, employment and capital investment.
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Guidance
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) provides information and guidance relating to Brexit and your business.
Preparing for new Customs Arrangements
In addition to the advice about changes in customs arrangements which is offered through Bord Bia, Skillnet Ireland, InterTrade Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices, information relating to Customs formalities is available on the Revenue website.
Preparing for changes in Legislation and Standards
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is a Competent Authority for a range of EU Regulations and Directives which govern the import, use and placing on the market of a range of goods from chemicals to machinery to pressure equipment and lifts. It provides advice to Irish companies and SMEs on meeting legislative duties and ensuring they can source and sell their goods in the EU.
The Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB), which is part of the HSA, can offer advice on accreditation matters and conformity assessment bodies required under specific EU laws.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) provides advice on how best to ensure businesses are certified to appropriate standards to access markets.
Keeping informed on Brexit
Visit gov.ie/brexit for more on what Brexit may mean for your business and your daily life and follow Getting Ireland Brexit Ready on Twitter @BrexitReadyIRL.
Advice to businesses from Europe
Readiness Notices: The Commission is reviewing – and where necessary updating – the over 100 sector-specific stakeholder preparedness notices it published during the Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom. DBEI encourages firms to consult the European Commission’s website to review the Notices and consider relevant actions that may be required to mitigate any potential negative impacts that may arise for them in terms of Brexit.
Financial supports
Enterprise Ireland's Be Prepared Grant
For businesses that need external support in planning for Brexit, Enterprise Ireland offers up to €5,000 to assist client companies develop a plan through its Be Prepared Grant.
Enterprise Ireland's Ready for Customs Grant
The new Ready for Customs grant provides up to €9,000 per eligible employee hired or redeployed within a business to a dedicated customs role. The grant, available through Enterprise Ireland, will help businesses increase their capacity to manage the customs process after 1 January 2021.
Enterprise Ireland's Market Discovery Fund
Enterprise Ireland supports businesses who wish to innovate, change or adapt in a number of areas, for example, to research viable and sustainable new market entry strategies through its EI Market Discovery Fund. Other funding opportunities from Enterprise Ireland include the Agile Innovation Fund and the Operational Excellence Offer.
InterTradeIreland's Brexit Planning Voucher
InterTradeIreland provides a Brexit Planning Voucher to enable SMEs to get professional advice on Brexit, including likely tariffs, currency management, regulatory and customs issues and movement of labour, goods and services.
Brexit Loan Scheme
The Brexit Loan Scheme makes lending available to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees that are exposed to current or future impacts arising as a result of Brexit. Loans range from €25,000 to €1.5 million, for terms of up to three years, at a maximum interest rate of 4%. Loans up to €500,000 available unsecured.
Future Growth Loan Scheme
The Future Growth Loan Scheme has been expanded and now makes a total fund of up to €800 million available for terms of 7-10 years. The scheme is open to eligible Irish businesses, including those in the primary agriculture and seafood sectors, to support strategic, long-term investment, for future sustainability and growth. Loans range from €25,000 to €3 million and loans up to €500,000 available unsecured.
Technical Assistance for Micro-Exporters (TAME)
The Local Enterprise Offices offer Technical Assistance for Micro-Exporters (TAME). This provides financial assistance to support market diversification in qualifying businesses to develop new and export market opportunities.
Trading Online Voucher Scheme
The Local Enterprise Offices administer the Trading Online Voucher Scheme, which helps small businesses to trade more online, to increase sales and to reach new markets. This scheme provides match-funding of up to €2,500, with training and further supports provided by the LEOs.
Local Enterprise Offices Grants
For existing companies and potential start-ups that meet eligibility criteria (such as employing 10 or fewer people with the potential for growth and job creation), Local Enterprise Offices can offer Priming, Business Expansion, and Feasibility Study grants to help manage Brexit responses.
Microfinance Loans
The new Microfinance Ireland Brexit Business Loan provides up to €25,000 to businesses whose turnover has fallen (or is likely to fall) by 15% or more, or where a business has a short-term cashflow need as a result of Brexit. Loans range from six months to three years.
Skills and training
In addition to advice and guidance, there is a range of supports available for training and upskilling staff within your business: Supports to get your business Brexit Ready: Upskilling
Other business supports
Find out what other supports are available to SMEs: Supporting SMEs – which support is for you?
Related information
For more information on preparing your business for Brexit, visit gov.ie/getbrexitready.
#BrexitReady
